


Out of your cage, the world is at your finger tips

by throwawayExperiments (Not_smart)



Series: A New Member Of The Dream SMP [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (and he's a good father figure in this one ), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Asexual Character, Character Study, Characters can be ooc, Exploring character interactions through an OC, Fluff, Found Family, Genderfluid Character, Healing, Mentioned F1NN5TER, Mentions of Anxiety, Mild Language, Nonbinary Character, Original Character is disowned, POV Original Character, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Past Child Abuse, Philza becomes Dadza, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Slight Canon Divergence, Swearing, They/Them Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Tommy isnt the youngest anymore, Trans Floris | Fundy, [gonna rewrite this in the summer - probably ], afab anatomy, and adopted by the Dream SMP, dumbasses having fun, everyone is his pseudo kid - he's just a dad type of person I guess lol, first time writing dream smp, i think lol, mentions of traumatic past, multiple teens/minors on the server. they cause chaos., period/menstruation mention, teenage gang gets another member
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:09:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_smart/pseuds/throwawayExperiments
Summary: A glitch causes the Dream SMP whitelist barrier to disappear for a few moments.An innocent walk in the woods forces someone to take refuge in a foreign house.Will the Dream SMP get a new member or will the new arrival end up back on the streets of The Hub?____________Alternatively: Tommy isn't the youngest anymore and there is another secretive, faceless member to the SMP; they don't even stream.Dadza basically unofficially adopts (yet another) kid and everyone helps them come out of their shell. It's like they're a completely new person.The teen sure as hell hopes Dream allows them to stay on the server...______(Trigger warnings will be included at the starts of chapters.)General TW's: swearing, injuries, anxiety and panic attacks (mentioned), angst, feeling unworthy, depression&depressed thoughts (mentioned; not too graphic/in detail), AFAB anatomy (mentioned chest and periods in some chapters), etc. [if I've missed any, please let me know]
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), just friendship - Relationship
Series: A New Member Of The Dream SMP [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088006
Comments: 15
Kudos: 136





	1. Who's on your couch?

The chaos of Christmas was over - the Dream SMP members were chilling around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and some of them cuddling for warmth, chatting idly. The streams were all ended ages ago, Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo laughing at the shenanigans of the past week. 

There were a few lighting glitches that evening, but no one seemed to notice, they were all either too tired or half-asleep to care. 

Tubbo had dragged himself and Tommy back to their houses, staying on the front step for a while, chatting. The younger invited the president for some hot chocolate inside - the exile bit was only kept up when streaming and watched by thousands. The two’s laughter filled the house as they stepped inside, Tommy going into the kitchen and starting to get the hot beverages ready. Tubbo walked into the small living room, meaning to sit on the couch. 

“Tommy? There’s someone on your couch!” the worried and somewhat scared voice called to Tommy, who immediately called back. 

“Wasn’t everyone still at the Christmas tree?”

“Tommy, I don’t think this is someone from the SMP.”

“What?” there was a clank and a few curses as Tommy hurried to turn off the stove and came to join Tubbo. 

There was, indeed, a figure laying on the teen’s couch, clutching the blanket they covered themselves with and a backpack underneath their head. After a few seconds of silence, Tommy started getting impatient - who the hell was this stranger on his couch and why were they even here?


	2. Where someone becomes somebody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious figure wakes up. Shrieking. 
> 
> Headaches and Chaos ensue.
> 
> TW: Mild injury, Swearing, Implied health risks

“Hey, this isn’t your house. This is my home, bitch” Tommy kept up his confident and abrasive exterior, even though he was getting worried. 

The figure on the couch stirred, shrieking as they opened their eyes, bumping their head against the armrest, surprised to see the two teens staring at them. 

“Uhh.. hi? Who are you?” Tubbo asked, cautiously. 

“Uhh… fuck… I’m Sky… or Skylar, whichever … I have no clue how the fuck I ended up here… my head hurts… you guys have anything for that?” the figure rubbed their eyes, groaning slightly, their head throbbing painfully, the now rising bump not helping the situation. Their breathing was shallow and they coughed a few times. 

Tubbo looked at the figure and went to search the medicine cabinet in the kitchen for some painkillers. Tommy eyed the person on his couch and tilted his head, thinking. 

Sky looked tired, bags under their eyes, barely conscious and obviously still very, very sleepy. 

“How the hell did you end up on my couch?” he asked, still glaring at them. 

“Dude, I’ve told you .. I have no clue… I remember being bored, going for a walk in one of the new servers from the Hub, tripping over a branch and hitting my head against the ground, I probably passed out or something,” they rubbed at the second bump on their head, wincing. “Then I was almost eaten alive and chased by those zombie fuckers, not to mention the creepers, those assholes... Anyways, I went into the closest building I found. Which was this one.” they finished their short description, almost gasping for air a few times, taking the pills and glass of water Tubbo brought them and mumbling a ‘thanks’ in return. After drinking the water they cleared their throat and moved their bangs from their eyes. 

“I should probably get up,” they looked at the boys, bracing themselves against the couch and standing up, weak knees giving in from underneath and sending them back onto the couch. They grimaced, their head thrown back in a sigh. 

“Fuck… can you help me to a bathroom or somewhere else private? I gotta go check something” 

Tubbo nudged Tommy, and a ‘sure’ came from under his breath. The older stepped next to Sky, reaching round their shoulders and hoisting them up. The blanket was left on the couch, revealing a red oversized and baggy hoodie and some ripped black jeans with pins and patches, many of them being video game-related, Tommy noted with a smirk. 

As they stood up, both of the boys were surprised - Sky was taller than Tubbo, by a lot. They looked only a few inches shorter than Tommy, leaving the boy wondering how old they were. Which prompted his next question to the stranger. 

"So.. how old are you?"


	3. Questions need answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil is worried, Techno is ready for battle and voices are not letting him think
> 
> Tommy is excited and is Tommy (aka some chaos)
> 
> Sky bonds with Tubbo over bees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a longer chapter.  
> Hope you enjoy :D
> 
> TW: Implied Health Risks, Mentioned Weapons (Swords and Crossbows, they don't get used though), Swearing, Mentions of past trauma (character is disowned and becomes homeless)

_ "So... how old are you?" _

Skylar giggled and cleared their throat again, coughing a bit in the process. “How ‘bout I go to the bathroom and then you tell me your names first?” their voice was not as deep as some of the others’, so they were either a woman or an adolescent boy, Tommy thought to himself. 

After a curt nod from Tommy, Tubbo showed them the way to the bathroom, noting how they took their backpack with them. 

“Okay. I’m Tubbo and this is my friend Tommy!” Tubbo responded on the way there, his voice happy and energetic. 

“Well, nice to meet you guys,” Sky grinned, revealing braces. So they were probably in their teens, Tommy figured. “And sorry ‘bout crashing in your house” they gave an apologetic look to the two, before going into the bathroom and closing the door. 

Tommy took the time to rummage through his communicator, texting Wilbur, Phil and Techno.

<TommyInnit> Hey guys? 

He got a response a few moments later. 

<Philza> Yeah?

<TommyInnit> There’s a stranger in my house… they were on my couch. Pls help - what do I do?

Given by the knocking at the door about two minutes later, Phil must’ve been worried. He came with his netherite sword and Techno was behind him, crossbow at the ready. Tommy opened the door and led them to the kitchen, trying to explain the situation.

After a bit Sky came back, slouching more than before, and sat on the couch.

Tommy dragged the two adults to the living room, both of them relieved to see Tubbo okay and chatting with the stranger ‘bout a bee pin they made. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Phil asked, (making Sky jump), relaxing slightly at the sight of the two children of the server being okay, one of them chatting with the stranger and so he tucked away the sword, Techno still having a hand on the crossbow but going to the window and staring outside. 

“They showed up on my couch. I have no clue how they got here,” Tommy explained, as Phil smiled at Sky, introducing himself and Technoblade. They explained the way they got here as much as they remembered and Tommy perked up when they said they were barely 16. “Hah, I'm not the youngest anymore!” he interjected, then shrunk back when he saw everyone's surprised (and some angry) faces at his loud shout. 

Phil looked worried, this was still basically a kid and they were telling him how they don’t technically have a home and have been migrating from server to server for the past year or so - they had been thrown into The Hub after a dispute with their family and an order to fend for themselves and ‘learn life’ given to them as a parting gift. 

Techno was still looking out the window and Tommy decided to join him. The piglin hybrid was probably zoned out, thinking about potatoes or violence, Tommy figured.

“Hey, Blade.” Techno startled at the voice next to him. Yep, he was right, the famous fighter had zoned out and was scared by the gremlin.

“Hey Tommy.” 

“How come you came over here with Phil?” Tommy asked, curious, since Techno had a reputation of being disinterested at almost anything.

“Voices were interested in what was happening.” he deadpanned, still staring out the window, but putting his crossbow away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still in the process of writing the next chapter so i have no clue when the next update is gonna be ready. thank you for your patience lol
> 
> if anything else triggers you, let me know and I'll add the warnings.
> 
> Have a good one and see you next time :D


	4. Music man worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy finds out why the two adults came armed. No one really knows what to do.  
> Wilbur worries about the boy he considers his little brother.
> 
> TW: mentions of weapons (swords and crossbow) [they aren't used, they're just from worried friends] - if I missed any Trigger Warnings, let me know
> 
> Enjoy :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!! 
> 
> I'll try to update every week, since real life responsibilities are creeping up on me.
> 
> Hope you like the story so far :D

“Oh, you’re streaming?” Tommy was surprised when Techno nodded.

“Why not? Twitter blew up because Dream caught a breach in the whitelist during the celebrations. Probably just glitches cuz of the lag. Wanted to stream and check it out. It's free clout by this point.” he said, chuckling, before the voices were back, asking about the stranger.

“Oh… is …” Tommy looked at the trio on the couch. “Is Skylar dangerous? Is that why you guys came armed?” Techno looked at him and sighed, then nodded. “Phil was worried. Dream said that could be it. He’s looking into it.” 

The older looked at the three sitting on the couch, frowning in worry before returning to stare out the window. 

  
  


Phil had determined Sky was just a poor kid, in the wrong place at the wrong time - they accidentally slipped through the portal while it was opened, probably because it was the closest to their spawn in the Hub. 

After the chat with the guest he decided to visit the admin and determine what to do next, especially if Dream’s rechecking and redoing the whitelist. No one really knew what would happen if Skylar was on the server while not on the whitelist. 

So, they headed through the snow towards the Christmas tree, small talk between the three teens, mostly Tubbo and Sky, filling the air, Phil and Techno talking quietly at the back. 

They didn't even reach the tree before Wilbur spotted them and stood up to go talk to Phil and Techno about the messages Tommy sent. The man was surprised to see a third figure between Tommy and Tubbo. Eyes narrowed, he contemplated pulling out his sword but seeing how relaxed Techno was around the stranger, he quickly let his arm fall back down to his side. 

“Hey guys!” he greeted, smiling and still eyeing the person between Tommy and Tubbo. 

“Hey, Wil,” Tommy grinned, rushing forward to talk to him without the others hearing them. 

“Who’s that?” Wilbur dropped his cheery exterior and let his worry slip into his voice, pointing at Sky. 

“That’s Sky. They ended up on my couch after almost being eaten by zombies. They basically lived in the Hub for ages. They’re a gamer, though, they’re cool.” Tommy answered, hoping he remembered all the important information. 

“Oh, and they’re younger than me!” he beamed at the older, Wilbur just laughed and ruffled Tommy’s hair. 

“As long as they’re not dangerous,” the musician rolled his eyes jokingly, glancing at the figures trailing behind them. 


	5. Marshmallows and fire pit talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki is the concerned mom-friend.   
> Sky is sleepy. Ranboo is a goofball.   
> AKA: a few short introductions, [filler chapter]

They walked up to the firepit, Sky going to sit next to Tubbo, extending their hands towards the bright flames and humming in agreement when the president asked if they were cold. He stood up, going to talk to Ranboo and leaving Tommy next to Sky, the latter barely responding, rather focusing their energy on staying upright for the time being. 

Tubbo came back, a concerned Niki, the young woman holding a few blankets, and curious Ranboo in tow. 

“So, Ranboo, Niki, this is Skylar.” Tubbo introduced them, Sky sending a quick smile in their direction before returning their gaze to the fire, scrunching their figure and pulling one of their knees to their chest. 

Niki went to sit next to them, cautiously sitting down after asking if it was okay and getting a nod in return. 

“Hi!” she greeted, her cheerfulness turning into a more gentle and caring tone as she draped the blankets around the sleepy figure. Sky hummed in response, trying to keep their eyes open. They didn't want any more surprises when they woke up so they decided to try and stay up. 

“Hi,” they managed to say, their own raspy (and therefore deeper) voice making them smile a bit. 

“You look tired. You can -” Niki started, stopping mid-sentence to think. 

“I’m pretty sure someone must have an empty bedroom if you don't want to sleep out here.” she offered with a quiet giggle, looking at them sleepily grab a stick with a marshmallow Tommy passed them. They smiled and nodded, dropping their head and drawing patterns on the floor with their shoe after a few seconds. 

“I think uhhh… Phil, was it? He said I am not on a whitelist and it could get bad if Dream doesn’t add me onto it.” Sky said, trying to remember any important detail they missed, staring at the fire while thinking. 

“Oh, yeah, probably a good idea. I can go with you to talk to him, if you want?” the young woman offered, looking around for the admin.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate that, I don’t even know who Dream is,” Skylar chuckled, slightly embarrassed. Surely they would figure it out by now - they mentally scolded themselves - but given the amount of people - they were only introduced to a few so far - it wasn’t exactly an easy task. 

“Oh! Of course! Ranboo, you wanna come with?” Niki called, half-standing to peer over Tommy and Sky, trying to catch Ranboo’s attention. 

The young man looked at Niki and smiled, excusing himself, standing up from his seat on a log next to Tubbo and coming to crouch next to her, almost falling off balance in the soft dirt and laughing because of it. 


	6. Overthinking their childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki reads through the chats Phil sent. She worries about the kid.

“Hey, what’s up?” Ranboo greeted, smile still stuck to his face. 

“Sky needs to talk to Dream. Whitelist stuff. I thought you’d wanna -” Niki stopped again, looking at Skylar, eyes full of sorrow and pity - Phil had recapped their story in the chat on the way here. Sure, all of them travelled across at least a few servers, either living in them as admins, owners or just for content. No one was thrown out, having to live on the streets of the Hub and hopping from server to server while they were freaking fourteen. 

She scrolled through the messages Phil had sent in the chat. Most of them explained, in almost painful detail, how Sky reacted to adults, especially Techno, who looked intimidating on his own, bloody royal outfit and all. They quickly change attitudes, according to the story of the two teens who had found them. The cursing, sort of brash, borderline impulsive, a bit hotheaded, self-confident and happier teen had been quickly covered by a submissive, shy, quiet and polite act. Phil had assumed it was either their childhood or their experience in the Hub (though almost the entire group of the SMP had a sinking suspicion it was a mix of the two). 

The more Niki scrolled, the more she wanted to hug the new arrival and tell them they're safe here, safe to stay - given Phil’s story, they were worse off than it seemed. They lowered their head when talking to him, some form of respect, showing weakness, she supposed, and kept eye-contact on the rare occasion they weren’t staring at the ground. 

Phil had gestured to Techno to put away the crossbow and move a bit away, which the Blood God did gladly, acutely aware of the terrifying aura he gave away. Given how relieved Phil seemed in his writings after that, Sky must’ve relaxed a bit more after that. Niki's suspicions were proven correct; the simple ‘They had been insistent on leaving, when Techno put the crossbow away, they actually sat down to talk’ echoing in her mind. What has this poor kid been through and how many times had a situation like this turned sour, for them to immediately turn to leave? 

“Yeah, sure” Ranboo broke her chain of thoughts and grinned at Sky, who flashed a smirk at him as well. Both of the SMP members were happy to see the guest smile, especially Niki, glad they thought of her as a friend, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter (kinda)
> 
> Please tell me if I've missed any Trigger warning's you would like me to include
> 
> hope you enjoyed the story so far :D


	7. What if's, a concerned Ph1lza and TommyInnit spoils the script

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil really hopes Dream will let Sky stay on the server - the kid looks tired, as if they haven't slept properly in days. 
> 
> He worries about their reactions to their first encounter, too.
> 
> Sky has a strong grip and Tommy reveals top secret spoilers of the upcoming events.

It turned out Phil talked to the server admin himself - the older had been worried about the young stranger and he wanted to at least offer a shelter for the remaining few months of winter. The parental side of him had decided to try and get the teen stay for at least a few days - if they would decide to stay any longer - it was their choice, but he always had some room in his house or near it. One more member to the found family on the server wouldn’t hurt, the more the merrier, he thought, quickening his pace to reach the admin quicker. His mind wandered back to the conversation at Tommy’s home. 

When Sky had seen Phil, they ducked their head, quieting down and answering with short ‘mhm’s, flinching if Phil or Techno spoke too loud. So, the former pulled up a chair next to them and started a conversation about hobbies and pins with Sky, hoping Tubbo would join and ease the tense atmosphere. The younger did indeed join, enthusiastically chattering with Sky about their bee pin, the latter loosening up and chuckling every so often. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when Dream greeted him. 

“Hey, Phil, what’s up?” his voice had cut through the older’s thoughts. The latter gave a greeting in return and took a deep breath. Phil knew he could convince Dream to at least let the stranger rest up, but he needed to let him know about them before he assumes they’re dangerous and does something risky, probably hurting the innocent teen in the process. 

“You know the stranger that breached the whitelist?” Dream nodded, somewhat accentuating his response with his arm movement.

“Oh, yeah, I was gonna delete their data - I think that should throw them into the Hub” Phil paled for a moment, a horrified expression flashing across his face. 

“The stranger is a teen. I came to ask you if you’d consider letting them live here for a week or so - their name’s Sky - they’ve been server hopping for a few years now… and isn’t data erasing super fucking painful?” Phil responded, tilting his head upwards to see Dream’s mask. 

“Huh… well, I suppose I could ask the others if they agree to that, yeah. After, of course, I meet said stranger. Deal? I don’t want to allow a random guy -” he stopped, correcting himself after Phil cleared his throat. 

“A random person on my server - what if they’re some obsessed fan or something?” 

Phil hadn’t considered that option. Granted, the kid looked exhausted and didn’t recognise Techno, so it probably wasn’t a situation like that. He decided he’d think about it while walking back to the campfire, to accompany the admin to greet Sky.

“You must be the stranger Tommy was going on about, yeah?” Dream asked, confidence and authority in his voice making Sky flinch before mustering their energy and standing up to their near full height, looking at Dream’s face for a few moments before returning their gaze to the floor. A few seconds passed before they took a deep breath and looked up, extending their right arm. The admin shook it, his facade falling for a second, surprised at the strength with which Sky gripped it - he attempted to use his tough guy exterior and strong handshake as an intimidation tactic - smiling a bit at his surprise. 

“Yeah, I’m the stranger.” they could see Phil watching them. Was the man worried? 

“ I am Skylar. A genderfluid mess, to put it simply. Apparently the youngest on here” they chuckled nervously, relaxing a bit at the smirk they could almost hear forming on Ranboo’s face. Dream hummed in response before nodding. 

“ Phil and Techno talked to me about this situation.” he continued and sat down on the log, Sky reluctantly doing the same on a log a bit away from him, their nerves keeping them on edge - they had a few bad experiences with admins and what was currently happening triggered their fight or flight response out of pure habit. 

They felt a gaze on their side, turning in caution, but seeing Ranboo and Niki mouthing supportive ‘you got this’ and showing thumbs-up, and relaxing a bit again. 

“Phil said you were alone in the Hub,” the admin continued and they quickly turned back to listening to him. His gaze softened, a worried sigh coming from underneath his mask a few moments later. 

“Given the circumstances of all this chaos” he pointed to the surrounding area, craters of explosions from the stunt Wilbur pulled being visible almost everywhere, “and the fact you’re too young to be roaming the singleplayer survival worlds, I’ll ask the other members if they would welcome another player into the SMP. You’re probably okay to stay here till it gets sorted, just… stay out of everyone’s way and try to stay out of streams. Or at least wear some sort of mask. I don’t want another goddamn Twitter hashtag bout wanting to join.”

He finished his instructions and Sky pulled their best adult-and-responsible face - they wouldn’t dare break the rules if there’s… whatever this is, on the line. 

Dream stood up, smiled and left with a “I’d suggest asking someone if they have an extra room or something. It gets dangerous out here at night.” he gestured to the mobs spawning about a chunk away from them, Techno practicing his skills on zombies and creepers. The admin walked over to the fighter, yelling on the way there, a stern look on his face. 

“Technoblade, I swear if you’re streaming all this, … delete the VOD. There shouldn't be any trace bout them. NONE, you hear me? Scrub everything clean. ” 

Sky shuddered a bit when Tommy poked them with another marshmallow. “-lar, Skylar, Skylar? You doing okay?” they returned to reality, (they hated their tendency to zone out in loud situations), sending a sheepish smile to the teen. 

“I’m okay. You know if anyone has an extra bed or something?” they asked, smiling at Tommy who thought about it for a few seconds but keeping their eyes on the flames - a strange comfort of sorts. “Honestly? There’s a few uninhabited houses and some buildings you could crash in… pretty sure almost everyone round here wouldn’t make a fuss bout you staying in their house, though.” he answered, thinking about it a bit more. 

“Oh, stay clear from L’Manburg though. It’s gonna be a big deal in a few days and I don’t know how respawn would work for you. And the death messages in chat… We’ll need to all talk to Dream about that” he trailed off, chuckling nervously when Sky gave him a “What the hell do you mean, BIG DEAL?” half-whisper, a concerned and half-terrified look on their face. 


	8. I'm an AA battery, b*tch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky has a few pins on their backpack. 
> 
> Oh, and they meet the resident 'deep voice, chill vibes' royalty, casually wearing a pretty skirt. [Author's note: F*ck gender roles!]

Sky decided they would deal with that situation and all the implications later, the adrenaline that kept them going starting to leave, leaving their hands and entire body a shaky, anxious mess. The reminder that they would need to sleep in a server with unpredictable situations coming up, had them spiraling into an abyss of thoughts. 

What if this server was just like the other bad ones? What would happen if the members didn't want them here? What if they died? How would they respawn? Would they even respawn? What if- 

"Hey, are you okay?" Ranboo's voice stopped their train of thought that almost started turning into a panic attack. His deeper voice was calming, making Sky take a deep breath and look upwards from where they were staring into the floor, towards the boy who was crouching on the floor in front of them. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m … I’m okay, I think” they answered, awkward and anxious in their response. 

“Okay then,” Ranboo went to change the subject, seeing Sky didn’t want to talk about the panic attack he almost witnessed. He stood back up, a tall figure Sky hadn’t noticed before stepping closer. 

“Hi there, I’m Eret,” they greeted, with a deep voice, a smile and a flower crown atop their head. Sky wasn’t going to question the fact the flowers weren’t wilted or frozen in the middle of the cold, but given the giant piglin brute player hybrid that came to greet them, the server obviously had its specialities. Eret’s skirt swished around as they walked closer, the plain green fabric contrasting against their very extravagant cape. Its color-scheme sure seemed familiar, the colors not as visible in the dim lighting, although it wasn't a typical monochrome fabric. 

Sky stood up too, only now noting the fact that Ranboo was easily over six and a half feet, with Eret towering at an inch or two over him. 

“Gods, why is everyone here so fucking tall?” they thought out loud, the chuckle from the other two making them realise the words left their mouth. 

Eret laughed, lifting the simple skirt obstructing their shoes to show quite tall boots with a good few inches of heels. 

“Oh,” was the only thing the youngest responded with, earning another amused chuckle from the two others. 

“I’m Skylar. Or Sky. I don’t really mind.” they offered a hand and Eret shook it, their fingernails painted a shiny black and their hands being pitch black almost up to their elbows. “Hybrid.” they explained as if they read Sky’s mind. They tilted their sunglasses down a bit at the explanation, Sky stepping back in shock at the almost glowing white that stared at them from where they expected any variant of blue, brown or green. 

“Oh, that’s scary. And cool! I don’t mean to be rude, but um… what’re your pronouns?” the teen asked, looking at Eret. 

“No, no, don’t worry, it’s fine. I use they/them. And you?” they answered. 

“Umm, to be honest, I don't really.. I’m genderfluid. Though they/them always works!” the teen sort of grinned, the exhaustion gripping at their eyelids and making them want to go to bed. They sat back down, mumbling an ’‘I’m sorry, I’m just kinda tired right now.’’and hoping the two others wouldn’t mind. 

“Well, it’s certainly nice to meet you. How come you’re on the server? I didn’t realise Dream was adding anyone.” Eret started after they sat down next to Ranboo and Sky. 

“No, he wasn’t adding anyone. I kinda… wandered in here?” Skylar looked down, sort of embarrassed. Eret chuckled a bit, adding a "Yeah, that sounds like something that could happen, given Dream's problems with the whitelist lately. I'm pretty sure you're welcome to stay here as long as you need, though." 

Why was everyone so nice to them - someone that wasn’t even supposed to be here, let alone allowed to be? And why was everyone offering them this server as a place to stay? Were they really looking that pitiful? 

They decided they would dwell on those thoughts later. For now, they just wanted to warm themselves up. 

“Yikes… I’m guessing you haven’t got somewhere to go in the Hub or….?” Niki had joined the conversation, coming back from wherever she went, thoughts trailing off again as she eyed the teen in front of her, bringing some extra logs for the fire. 

Sky had dark gray eye bags, a barely healing split lip and messy hair. Their slightly too small outfit was torn in some places, shoes clearly showing a few years of wear and tear. The only things that looked cared for and thought about were the pins, the backpack and the hoodie. Said hoodie was a few sizes too big, but it looked fluffy and comfortable. The black backpack was now adorned with the pins previously on the teen’s attire. Niki was sure Eret would recognise some of them - some pride flags and a lot of video game related ones. She recognised the genderfluid, agender and asexual one, along with a ‘I’m an AA battery, bitch’ one, which looked handmade but still done carefully and well-loved. She giggled at its wording, the swear word reminding her of Tommy. The ‘AA battery’ part was written over a simplified drawing of a battery, with a small lightning bolt coming out of either side of it. The small object was a rectangular shape, the edges rounded and glossy. It was a beautiful enamel pin, even if it was kind of dirty from the dust and grime of Sky’s travels. 

A few other pins caught the young woman’s attention - there were a few pride puns, namely a ‘I’m a GAYmer’, a ‘Part of the Alphabet Mafia’ and a few with the ‘How dare you assume …’ premise. There was also a ‘I <3 Garlic Bread’ one, the text layered over a vaguely bread-shaped pin with a few tiny garlic cloves added to the silhouette. 


	9. Castles and gifts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur and Fundy send gifts and Sky's a fan of castles. 
> 
> ____  
> filler chapter, kinda. IRL stuff is kicking my ass so updates are slow :(  
> anyways... hope you enjoy and let me know your opinion on the story so far in the comments! :D

Niki giggled at them, noticing Sky’s eyes drooping. 

“Eret? Can they stay at your castle tonight? I doubt it’s safe out here.” she asked, half-whispering to the taller royalty. 

“Wow, you have a castle? Oh, that’s cool!” Sky said, joining the conversation at the mention of a castle. 

“Yeah, yeah, I do. You wanna see it? I have a few spare rooms if you want to take a rest.” they offered, a warm smile on their face. 

“Oh, yeah, I’d love to see it! But uhh… I don’t know ‘bout the whole ‘rest’ part. I’ll probably get going soon,” they responded, their mind yelling at them that they’re a burden and unwanted, just interrupting the kind people currently offering their hospitality. 

“I’ll go ask Dream. Meet you on the Prime path?” Niki asked, looking to the two others. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice, thank you, Niki” Eret responded, stretching a bit and telling Sky to follow them. 

A few minutes later, they stood on the Prime path, Niki coming to accompany them. 

“Dream okayed it. Fundy and Wilbur send some gifts.” she said, smiling brightly as she held a torch in one hand and a paper bag with some supplies in the other. She handed the latter to Sky, who peeked in it, gasping softly at the contents. 

“Wilbur and Fundy?” they asked, lifting the soft fabric layers that covered the gifts. Must be one of the people they haven’t met yet. Sky was certain they’d leave the next morning, or even during the night, if they had the chance, so it didn't matter if they met the kind strangers. They returned their attention to the gifts, deciding to at least see if they could take anything with them. Among other things, there were a few rolls of bandages and a few toiletries, but the thing that stood out was a small tube-shaped piece of fabric, dark gray and elastic. There was a bigger clothing item in the same color but it wasn't identifiable in the dim lighting. 

"Probably a shirt or something," Eret supplied, noticing Sky's surprise at the peculiar gift. They had a hunch what it could be, but they kept it to themself, not wanting to assume anything or intrude in Sky’s privacy. 

The latter’s attention was brought back to the smaller piece of elastic fabric and they pulled it out, looking at it. 

"Oh, that's a communicator sleeve! Look, you put it on like this, so it doesn’t bother you if you wear the communicator out of armor," the royal continued, taking off the device on their forearm and showing it to the newcomer. They had a rainbow colored fabric wrapped around their wrist and forearm, it looked like a brace, similar to the gray fabric Sky was currently looking at. Eret then slipped the device over it, checking it was properly in place before securing it back on. 

"Yeah, Tommy and Wilbur managed to convince Dream to get you a communicator, so you can follow the script and stay clear of the explosions and stuff." Niki said, handing Skylar a metal object. They put the paper bag onto the floor, careful to not get it in the damp dirt, instead placing it gingerly onto the wooden path. 

They took the device into their hands, looking at it and shifting it around, testing the weight of it. They leaned down, resting it against their left arm against their thigh, placing the communicator underneath it. They secured the clasps and straps around their wrist and forearm, gently tugging on them to make sure it would stay in place. 

Once they were sure it was secure and they got the OK from Niki, they booted the device up, Niki and Eret guiding them through the setup process. It wasn’t like they hadn't had a communicator before, they had the one they got from Hypixel as the starting kit, but it was old, barely functional in the newer servers, so the small round device had been retired to resting in their backpack. 

The greeting the communicator displayed was a simple ‘Hello, what is your name?’ 


End file.
